I received a couple of packages yesterday.  I now have my bear canister and my micro-spikes.  I also needed to buy a new water filter because I was stupid…

My original plan was to wait to buy the gear I needed for the Sierra Mountains.  After calculating the time that it would take to get to Kennedy Meadows, I began to realize that there really wasn’t much time to do that.  Shipping stuff home and then to Kennedy Meadows two weeks in advance takes time.

The Bear Vault BV500 is heavy and carrying that through the mountains is going to suck.  It weighs 41 ounces.  My backpack weighs 49!  I’m not sure how I’m going to store up to eight days worth of food in there.  By then I’ll have hiker legs and some real thru-hiking cooking experience, so I’m not too worried about it.

My Kahtoola micro-spikes are something I can use in Wisconsin, so they are not just for the Sierras.  It is possible that if there is a late snow in Southern California, I could end up needing them early, so they are good to have.

Right now, I didn’t order and ice axe.  We’ll see how things shape up.  Most people in 2015 didn’t need one, and 2018 is looking more-and-more like 2015 for snow in the Sierra Mountains.

I’ve updated my Will.  It needed to be updated now that my kids are much older.  The only change really has to do if both my wife and I pass away at the same time.

Oh yeah.  My water filter.  Um.  I broke it.  As I wrote on Sunday, I gathered everything together and reweighed it.  I packed it up like I will hike on April 6th.  I slid my water filter in the back pouch.  Monday, I did my normal nine-mile hike with my pack on.  The temperature was in the single digits and the water bottles started to freeze.  What was in the pouch?  My water filter.  Freezing the filter breaks it.  I connected it up and tried to run water through it, but it started to leak out the side.  So…  That was dumb.  It was a good hike, though.  Nine miles in 2.5 hours or about 3.5 m.p.h.

That is an important lesson I’m glad I learned before I was on the trail.  I won’t do that again.  This weekend is shaping up like a good weekend to get in a 15 mile hike.

 

This weekend was dedicated to preparation instead of training.  There was much work to be done there.

First, there were the finances.  I did the family’s taxes. Normally, I procrastinate, mostly because I do them myself using software and I want to make sure the software has had all its bugs discovered.  After that was done, my wife and I went over the bills.  That has traditionally been my job, but she’ll take over for that while I’m gone.

Then, I started to actually estimate when I expect to be in Kennedy Meadows.  I used Craig’s PCT Planner to help me with that.  I do not want to get caught into the trap of over planning this hike, however, I do need to roughly know how many days there are between stops.  Assuming I’m able to pound out 18 mile days like I have done in my shakedown hikes, I will arrive in Kennedy Meadows about May 24th.  This is a conservative plan with six zeros.

Kennedy Meadows is a checkpoint.  I am leaving earlier than an optimal start to give me time to get used to the trail.  Normally, you don’t want to leave Kennedy Meadows until June 15th, but as I’ve discussed before, this seems to be a very low snow year and that moves the checkpoint closer.  I researched the blogs I followed in 2015, and both hikers left around May 28th.

Now that I estimated when I expect to get to Kennedy Meadows, I broke down and ordered my bear canister and micro-spikes.  I wanted to wait on buying them for a couple of reasons.  First, I want to make sure I got there.  Second, everything I have bought up to this point I can use on the Ice Age Trail.  The bear canister and the micro-spikes are two items I need exclusively for the PCT.  (That is assuming that don’t become completely addicted and decide to hike the CDT.)  However, even using a conservative 18-mile day to Kennedy Meadows, there isn’t really that much time for the equipment to be ordered, shipped to the house and then shipped to Kennedy Meadows two weeks ahead of time.

I decided not to buy my ice axe at this point.  The 2015 hikers didn’t need them, so I decided to wait on that.  It is possible for me to by that in Kennedy Meadows.

I resubmitted my application to enter Canada.  I followed the directions this time.

Finally, I laid out all my gear, updated my gear list, and packed it.  You’ll see that my pack weight went up a pound in the process.  Mostly that was administrative.  I listed a number of items in the consumables that were moved to gear carried.  However, I did find a number of errors in my weight measurements.  That puts me back in the business of finding ways to lower my base weight.

I have 53 days left to do that.

This hike is a race.  I have to finish it before October 1st when snow conditions in Washington will be too dangerous to continue.  So, why didn’t I choose to leave March 15th to give myself enough time?  Because I have the Sierra Mountains to cross and the rule of thumb is that you cannot enter the them until June 15th.  That was especially true in 2017 when there was record snow there.  In fact, most hikers of the Class of 2017 skipped that section, hiked to the Northern Terminus.  Some went back and finished what they missed, but many chose to end their hike there.

My start date is April 6th.  In general, it takes about 40 days to get to Kennedy Meadows.  With an April 6th start, I would expect to get to Kennedy Meadows about May 20th or so.  I left a bit early because it is not possible for me to train going up and down mountains in Wisconsin.  That and I’m not 20 years-old any more.

What would I do if I cannot enter the Sierra Mountains for nearly a month?  Visit friends!  I lived in California for ten years.  I might even go home for a bit.  It is no big deal.

It is February 8th.  How is it shaping up?  Some pictures will help.  Here are the current snow depths in the mountains.

Now we need two examples.  The first is last year, a high snow year.

Clearly there is a big difference there.  What is the first year that looks the same?  That would be 2015.

2015 was a big drought year. That year it was pretty much safe to enter the Sierra Mountains right away. That is good news for me. That path is being made clear.

That being said, there is a side affect to all of this. Less snow also means less water on the trail. I will have to carry more and water is very heavy. My base weight of 15 pounds is equal to six liters of water. I might need to carry six liters regularly if conditions are similar to 2015. So, the good news is that the path through the Sierra Mountains looks safe. The bad news is that it is going to be hot and water will be scarce. I wanted an adventure. I’m going to get one.

My adventure is drawing nearer and nearer.

My application to enter Canada was not approved.  I made the mistake of not following directions by trimming the images of my passport and drivers license.  I was worried that the files were too big, so I cropped them.  I’ll re-image them and send it again.

I will start putting together my two boxes this week as well.  I will send a box of food to Scout and Frodo where I am staying the night before I begin.  That box will need me going for all the California Section A from the Southern Terminus to the small town of Warner Springs at mile 109.

I know that I will be eating at a restaurant at Lake Morena (mile 20), Mount Laguna (mile 41) and the Stagecoach Trails (mile 77).  This means that I will not be carrying three meals per day.  I’ll probably only carry breakfast, snacks and dinner.

My plan is to buy locally and ship boxes from the trail where needed.  I hope to only ship boxes to 10 to 12 stops.  Warner Springs is one of the places I will need to ship a box, and the only place I need to send a box in all of Southern California.

I will ship that first box on March 20th.  That should get to San Diego in plenty of time for my April 6th start.  I will ship my box to Warner Springs on April 2nd.  With that, there is no more planning.  After that, I go wit the flow.

 

Halfmile released his 2018 maps yesterday and there is one significant difference.  The trail has grown an additional 2.5 miles.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!  Are they trying to kill us!?!  2,650.1 miles was long enough!  Now it is 2,562.6!?! You can’t just change the trail like that.  If you are going to add 2.5 miles in one place, you need to remove 2.5 miles from another.  Besides, 2,650.1 miles rolls of the tongue.

Two… Thousand… Six… Hundred… And Fifty… Point One…

That Point One? It was the cherry on top.

I already dropped a butt-load of money on two sets of maps — which are completely wrong now I might add.  The black-and-white copy fills two 2-inch binders, because this is no walk in the park.  That and I enjoy saying “I’m going on a hike, do you want to see the maps?”

“Sure!”

Thud!

“Oh. My. God.”

“Wait…”

Thud!

“Are you mad?”

But what really pisses me off about this is that I already bought 100 “I Laughed When He Said He Was Hiking 2,650.1 Miles” T-Shirts for those who don’t believe in me.  (You know who you are…)

The new section is in California, mile 1203.4.  The new 6.9 mile trail is much more ascetically pleasing and replaces a 4.4 mile section that was mostly a road hike.  It is a good thing, and 2.5 miles is another joyful hour on the trail.  The last one off wins.

T-minus 63 days.  Looks more and more like it is a drought year.  That means that I won’t die getting washed down in a flash flood in the mountains, but I’ll die of thirst in the desert.  Until then, I train and I dream.

 

I received my last box of gear.  Four pairs of Darn Tough 1/4 Cushion socks and a set of Orange Superfeet for my Altra Lone Peak 3.5 shoes.  I’ll take two pair of socks on the hike and keep the other two in reserve for when I need them.

I walked the dog for an hour last night and they felt great.  The plan is to do my nine mile training hike with 35 pounds tonight and see how I feel.  With that, I have all my gear except my bear canister and ice axe which I’ll order once I’m on trail.

At this point, I could leave tomorrow.  In the meantime, I’ll continue to train until April 6th comes around.

Today marks 70 days until the hike begins.

The last of my orders have been make.  I purchases four pairs of Darn Tough hiker socks.  Two will go with me.  Two will stay behind to be shipped when I need them.  With that, my kit is complete.  There is nothing more to do there.

I received by 20 Good-To-Go dehydrated meals.  I’ll leave Campo with six and pack six in a box I’m shipping to Warner Springs.  That will leave eight.  I’ll start getting my two boxes ready.

I’m still waiting for the approval to enter Canada.  That isn’t an issue I’m worrying about.

At this point, all I can do is train.

I knocked off a couple more items off my checklist last night.  I filled out the permit for permission to enter Canada from the PCT.  As I do not have a criminal record this is a formality.  If for some strange reason I’m not approved, I will hike to the Northern Terminus, celebrate and backtrack.  Some hikers have to do that.  I shouldn’t, but if there is a mix up somewhere, I might have to adjust.  I’ll know for sure in a couple of days.

I ordered twenty meals from Good-to-Go.  Without a doubt, their meals are my favorite. They have spice.  They have flavor.  They are a bit more expensive, but they have a 25% off sale going through the month of January.  My primary strategy is to buy along the way, but that doesn’t start until 180 miles in at Idyllwild.

I also learned that the Mount Laguna Sports has closed permanently, and that might impact my resupply strategy.  What I was going to do until I got to Idyllwild is pack about 1,500 kCals of food per day.  I would then supplement along the way.  My 1,500 kCals would be my breakfasts and dinners, and I would supplement it with snacks and lunch along the route.  I know that I will have sources at Lake Morena (20 mi), Mount Laguna (41 mi), and the Stagecoach Trails Inn (77 mi).  Now that Mount Laguna Sports has closed, I’ll need to make sure that I have enough.

The lesson to be learned is that resupplying on the way is the best strategy.  You don’t want to ship a box only to never end up getting there.  Resupplying along the way keeps you moving.  Unfortunately, not every place has good resupply options and Warner Springs is one, so I’ll send a box there.

Today was an unusually beautiful day in Wisconsin.  It was sunny and warm with a high in the mid-40’s.  It was the perfect day to do some real trail miles instead of my urban trail hike.

I took this as an opportunity to adjust the weight in my pack and stretch myself out and see what I could do.  I took out the thirty pounds of water bottles I normally carry and put in my 13.2 pounds of gear, a half empty gas canister, two liters of water and some lunch.  I parked my car in the Emerald parking lot near the Monches segment, my favorite segment, and hiked south for seven miles.  I hiked at a backpacker’s pace.  I wanted to see how I felt after it was done.  I committed myself to hike to 11:30, make myself some lunch, and hike back.  I needed to be home by 3:30 p.m.

I wore what I intend to wear on the trail, a base layer shirt, my outer shell, and a pair of quick drying athletic shorts.  In about twenty minutes into the hike, I was glad I was wearing shorts as my outer shell was unzipped because I was so warm.  I easily made 7.5 miles by 11:30 and sat down on a bench a Boy Scout built for the trail.

As I cooked, I felt a sting.  It was a mosquito.

Let me put this into perspective.  I was hiking in shorts and I was bitten by a mosquito.  In Wisconsin.  In the middle of January.  I may have been the only person to ever say that they were bitten by a mosquito on the trail in Wisconsin in the middle of January.

I hiked back at an even faster pace.  The 25 pounds on my back felt like nothing after hiking with 35 pounds I normally carry.  I stopped briefly at the end when a small group stopped me to ask if I was training.  I said “I am.  I’m hiking the PCT this year!”  We talked for a little bit.  I think at least some of them will go some day based upon their interest.

When I got to the car, I was barely even sweating after 15 miles.  I drove home, took a shower, and then took my son and his six friends to laser tag where I ran around for an hour-and-a-half.

That is where I am.  I can hike 15 miles of trail with 25 pounds and still have plenty of energy to play laser tag.  My concern is that even the Ice Age Trail is pretty flat compared to the PCT.  There just isn’t a place around here to get that up-and-down.  Still, 15 miles like it was nothing gives me some good confidence that I’m close to where I want to be.

• Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you’ll visit.
• Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies.
• Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use.
• Visit in small groups when possible.
• Repackage food to minimize waste.
• Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns or flagging.

As I have said before, one does not plan to hike the PCT.  One can only prepare.  I have spent the past three years researching, studying and reading about this trail.  I believe I have the correct tools for the hike.

The first and immediate concern is staying up-to-date with the latest regulations.  I am not a big fan of going stove-less.  I nice hot cup of coffee in the morning is a luxury I’m willing to carry.  However, if a section is closed from any fire source, including my tiny three-ounce stove, I will follow those regulations.  I am depending upon the PCTA to keep me informed.

My Guthooks app is great.  It provides important information like where I can find a privy instead of digging a cat hole.  It provides more possible camping locations than the paper maps I am also taking.  I will, to the best of my ability, stick to places where people have already camped to reduce any damage I do to the environment.

I do have a bit of concern when it comes to the principle that I should repackage food to minimize waste.  I recognize that by removing the wrappers from all my Clif Bars I will significantly reduce the chance that part of the wrapper will go flying in the wind, I’m still increasing the amount of waste by using zip lock bags instead of keeping the bar in its original wrapper.

I know that I don’t know everything, but I know where to look.